Wet, stormy weather on Plains and in East

Thunderstorms barreled across the central part of the nation Sunday and rain stretched from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.

A mass of thunderstorms with wind, locally heavy rain and large hail stretched from South Dakota across wide sections of Nebraska into north-central Kansas during the morning.

During the afternoon, the storms pushed eastward, rolling across southern Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and northeastern Kansas. By late in the afternoon, a line of storms stretched from Wisconsin back through Missouri into Kansas.

A severe thunderstorm watch was posted for the evening from southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas into southern Illinois.

Locally heavy rain left streams swollen in parts of Nebraska and Iowa.

To the west, showers were scattered over parts of Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming, with occasionally heavy rain in northeastern Montana, and thunderstorms developed in some areas.

A late-afternoon tornado watch was issued for eastern Wyoming, western South Dakota and the Nebraska Panhandle.

In the East, a low pressure area centered near the Ohio Valley spread showers and thunderstorms across Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Georgia northward through the Tennessee and Ohio valleys to Michigan and western New York state.

Some of the steadiest rain fell in upper Mississippi, central and southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and southwestern Georgia.

Flood advisories were posted for south-central Alabama, where rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches an hour were reported.

Showers and isolated thunderstorms also pushed northeastward into the Carolinas.

Elsewhere, a few light showers were scattered over northwestern Washington, north Idaho and southwestern New Mexico early in the day.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms also were possible in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.

Sunday's temperatures around the Lower 48 states ranged from a morning low of 28 at Stanley, Idaho, to an early afternoon reading of 100 at Phoenix. The lowest wind chill was 21 at Ely, Neb., and the highest early afternoon heat index a combination of temperature and humidity was 101 at Phoenix.